Fläkt Woods is proud to announce the European launch of a wholly new type of energy recovery system, the TE3 Energy Recovery Wheels. Promising unheralded reliability, low maintenance and minimal operating costs, together with long life expectancy, the wheels feature EXCLU-SIEVE^® technology, which recovers both sensible (temperature) and latent (moisture) energy, doing so far more effectively than any other product.

Its ability to recover latent energy is one of the major benefits of this new technology. It will do this in both the cooling and the heating season. During the cooling season, the outdoor air is dehumidified and pre-cooled.

This significantly reduces the cooling requirements of the conditioned space. In the heating season, the process reverses and the outdoor air is humidified and preheated. This reduces the costly humidification of ventilation air as well as the heating requirements of the indoor space.

Latent recovery can double the energy savings potential recognised with the use of the sensible-only technology. It reduces requirements in both chiller and boiler capacities. System designs incorporating total energy recovery are first cost equivalent to conventional designs when achieving the same ventilation requirements and supply air conditions. In addition, they provide operating cost savings year-in and year-out.

As well, there is virtually no cross-contamination (they have been independently certified to be less than 0.04%) and the system can be applied where stationary heat exchangers cannot.

How It Works
It does this thanks to its unique transfer centre. The fluted core exploits an aluminium substrate coated with a fast-acting 3Å molecular sieve desiccant, allowing nothing larger than 2.8 angstroms to enter. (For information: Flu Virus is 1,200 angstroms in size and thus cannot be absorbed).

As the transfer core slowly rotates between the outdoor and return air stream, the higher temperature air stream gives up its sensible energy to the aluminium. This energy is then transferred to the cooler air stream during the second half of the revolution.

Just as the temperature is captured and released, so is the moisture (latent energy). This is released by means of the desiccant coating of the wheel. The desiccant has a very strong attraction for water and an enormous internal surface area to bind the water on its surface.

Since the opposing air streams have different temperatures and moisture contents, their vapour pressures on their surfaces differ. This vapour pressure differential is the driving force necessary for the transfer of water vapour.

Due to the enormous energy and hygienic benefits, these wheels have been installed in many applications including research laboratories, offices, hospitals, casinos, aeroplane and automotive painting, pharmaceutical, schools and universities.